Every year, many foundations file their IRS Form 990-PFs with inaccuracies and mistakes that can cost their wallet and reputation. Private foundations that don’t have the in-house technology to meet this requirement may seek assistance from tax advisors to avoid these errors. One such example is that starting with the 2020 tax year, Form 990-PF... Read More
A private foundation must make annual charitable expenditures, called qualifying distributions, equal to at least 5% of the fair market value of its previous year’s endowment. Thus, a foundation with average assets of $5 million in fiscal year 2022 must make roughly $250,000 of qualifying distributions by the end of its next fiscal year, or December... Read More
Self-dealing rules are sometimes confusing. In any event, a small foundation has to determine whether a potential transaction constitutes self-dealing. For this reason, we’ve come up with three straightforward questions that lean funders can apply to any situation. 1. Does the transaction involve a disqualified person? The Internal Revenue Service defines a disqualified person as one of... Read More
The law requires very little when making grants to most domestic public charities. Other than knowing a grantee’s tax status—your foundation has a great deal of flexibility. However, I regularly encounter funders, foundation staff and professional advisors who do not know this. What the Law Requires When Making Grants A few years ago, Project Streamline... Read More
Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Angus King (I-ME) introduced bipartisan legislation that aims to reform private foundations, and ensure that charitable dollars held in donor advised funds (DAFs) are distributed to working charities in a reasonable period of time. A joint press release states: “Donor-advised funds currently have more than $140 billion set aside for... Read More
Foundation trustees have many responsibilities, but fulfilling their legal duties probably tops the list. As such, it’s important that you know the rules and where trustees trip up most. Beyond the law, there are many things foundations can do, such as having a clear mission statement and healthy decision-making process, to help trustees stay out... Read More